Nitrox class question

[MHK]

First of all any time you take a class you are paying someone to teach you something, so in my mind the thought of paying someone who won't even bother getting wet to evaluate my skills tells me something about his commitment.

Secondly, ask yourself the following questions:

1) What is the most dangerous element of diving when you elevate the 02 content in the mix???

Answer: Oxygen Toxicity

2) How do you rescue a toxing diver??

Answer: You'll need to practice it in class, and before I give away the answer on an open forum answer the question to yourself first.. 99% of the time that I ask this question to my students that are already Nitrox certified they get the answer wrong and their responses usually eliminate any chance for survival..

Regards

 

[Karl_in_Calif]

We need another FAQ for this.

Why have the students do the dives?

The dives help, because they provide an experiential opportunity in repetitive dive calculations, whether you do that with your nitrox dive computer in planning mode, or whether you do that with nitrox tables or EAD calculations. Not just book work.

The main benefit of nitrox is shorter surface intervals and less N2 accumulation allowing more dives per day. The added responsibility is a shallower MOD based on FO2. Blow the MOD and you could die.

Its one more opportunity to learn for the student. It can also be a good scuba review for the students, if the instructor is motivated. Combining basic nitrox with AOW is a great idea as well. Nitrox fits nicely into the 4 or 5 topic format of an AOW class.

Like any AOW topic, I dont believe the instructor needs to be in the water with the students. The exception would be night diving and deeper diving. But not necessarily EANx.

 

[pipedope]

Are you implying that the AGE from taking the convulsing diver directly to the surface is a problem?

Let me see.

Recognize the problem over the intercom.
Splash the standby diver.
Switch the diver to a lower O2 gas if available.
Standby diver stabilizes the tox diver until he (she) is breathing again.
Standby diver brings tox diver to the surface with deco stops if needed.
Monitor diver for DCI and consult the DSO and DMO.

Ooops, slipped into surface supplied again, with the diver using FFM or helmet.

 

[Karl_in_Calif]

MHK once bubbled...
First of all any time you take a class you are paying someone to teach you something, so in my mind the thought of paying someone who won't even bother getting wet to evaluate my skills tells me something about his commitment.

Secondly, ask yourself the following questions:

1) What is the most dangerous element of diving when you elevate the 02 content in the mix???

Answer: Oxygen Toxicity

2) How do you rescue a toxing diver??

Answer: You'll need to practice it in class, and before I give away the answer on an open forum answer the question to yourself first.. 99% of the time that I ask this question to my students that are already Nitrox certified they get the answer wrong and their responses usually eliminate any chance for survival..

Regards

I would not put the test of depth before a basic EANx student. Best way to do that is keep a seafloor under them of less than 100 ft.

Then you dont need to deal with the possibility of a CNS Ox Tox.

 

[Big-t-2538]

Karl_in_Calif once bubbled...

Like any AOW topic, I dont believe the instructor needs to be in the water with the students. The exception would be night diving and deeper diving. But not necessarily EANx.

So you are telling me that you can teach and evaluate diving skills of your students without being in the water?

What if you have students who have EANx 36 in their tank....and they are diving in a quarry that is 120' deep....how do you stop them from going beyone the MOD for EAN 36 if you are not in the water with them?

 

[Karl_in_Calif]

Big-t-2538 once bubbled...
So you are telling me that you can teach and evaluate diving skills of your students without being in the water?

What if you have students who have EANx 36 in their tank....and they are diving in a quarry that is 120' deep....how do you stop them from going beyone the MOD for EAN 36 if you are not in the water with them?

Students should lean in basic EANx to keep a sea floor under them of 95 ft or shallower, when they are using EAN36.

That falls under MOD calculations, or they can look on their plastic dive tables for EAN36.

 

[Big-t-2538]

So how do you stop them at 95' and keep them from hurting themselves if you're not in the water with them?

 

[CincyBengalsFan]

Big-t-2538 once bubbled...
So how do you stop them at 95' and keep them from hurting themselves if you're not in the water with them?

This is where the emergency arm floaties come into play.

 

[Dryglove]

MHK once bubbled...

2) How do you rescue a toxing diver??

Answer: You'll need to practice it in class, and before I give away the answer on an open forum answer the question to yourself first.. 99% of the time that I ask this question to my students that are already Nitrox certified they get the answer wrong and their responses usually eliminate any chance for survival..

Regards [/B]

Thats a good point mike as we never even touched on how to rescue a toxing diver. It would be a good skill to learn. What are the chances of a average joe getting toxed out as long as he adheres to his MOD. I personally never push the limits of my MOD at 1.4 po2 just for that reason. I limit myself to no more than 100ft on 32% although i know it is good for 111 ft at 1.4. I may dip down beyond a 100ft but wont spend my entire dive at 111 ft.

Rescuing a toxing diver would seem to be much more important on the technical side as they seem to experience momentary higher po2 levels when switching to decompression gasses during their ascent. Im not a decompression diver or technical diver and am going on what i have read so take it for what its worth and please feel free to correct me.

 

[pipedope]

Even when you are in the water with them.

The exception is to prevent barotrauma by keeping them at the same depth until the convulsion is over.